With many households feeling the pain of interest rate rises, respected food entrepreneur and celebrity chef, Chef Daniel has some important advice for families concerned about the cost of Christmas festivities this year: focus on the time together and do the basics well.
“Christmas is a time of being with loved ones and enjoying each other’s company. You don’t have to spend a fortune on food to have a wonderful Christmas lunch, you just need to do the basics well,” Chef Daniel said.
Chef Daniel has provided some excellent tips on how to have a wonderful Christmas lunch without breaking the bank.
Focus on the table
“Dressing up the table and experiencing the colour and vibrance of Christmas is what makes the whole experience festive and fun,” Chef Daniel said.
“Source decorations and table displays from the garden, or your local park. Greenery and explosions of colour such as vases packed full of healthy green shrub branches and fresh flowers can add so much vibrance and joy to a table and it costs very little.
“Take a few decorations from your Christmas tree and scatter them around the table. Create your own table centre pieces with candles. Head to your nearest two-dollar shop and pick up some coloured napkins to add an extra element of colour to your table.
“Get the kids to make bon bons. Craft ideas are lots of fun and very cheap to create. Bon bons can be made with toilet rolls. Kids love seeing their creations on the table.
“There are lots of things you can do to make your table shine on Christmas day without spending a fortune. It just requires some creativity.”
Rethink traditional dishes
“Christmas is a time when we tend to prepare traditional dishes such as turkey and ham, both of which are quite expensive. While you may decide you can’t live without these items at the table, there are ways you can cut down on the cost of these Christmas staples,” Chef Daniel said.
“Add other meats to dishes. Rather than purchase an entire turkey or a leg of ham, be adventurous and add other meats to the table.
“Create platters that include cuts of turkey, pork and chicken. Include more of the affordable meats and less of the most expensive.
“Get creative, build platters that include salads and vegetables with some meat added. Emphasise the sauces, herbs and spices that you add to deliver the flavour and colour, rather than focusing on the meat.
“There are lots of ways you can create stunning dishes without spending a fortune on turkey and ham.”
Emphasise the sides
“Christmas doesn’t have to be all about the meat, it can showcase the versatility and stunning array of vegetables that we have available to us here in Australia,” Chef Daniel said.
“Focus on choosing a wonderful selection of colourful vegetables and creating plates that exude colour, texture and a unique blend of flavours. Add almonds to broccoli, maple syrup and goats cheese to carrots, pickled walnuts and tarragon to braised red cabbage. There is so much you can do to create stunning dishes that elevate the table with taste and colour.”
Opt for grazing platters instead of a big lunch meal
“Grazing platters can be created very easily and with a myriad of ingredients. They are a great way to share the joy of food while sticking to a budget,” Chef Daniel said.
“They also allow you to add foods such as dips, crackers, breads, homemade quiche, flans and other baked goods which are more economical to serve but still deliver a mouth-watering selection of options for your guests. Grazing platters are also easy to decorate.”
Have a BBQ
“Having a BBQ is an Australian tradition and there is no better day to do it than on Christmas day. BBQs also take the pressure off cooking in the kitchen,” Chef Daniel said.
“The added bonus of BBQs is that you can’t have a BBQ without sausages. Sausages are cost effective and kids love them. You can do a lot with sausages to dress them up: wrap them in slices of ham and grill them, cut them into pieces and thread them on to kebabs with vegetables, turn them into hot dogs and serve them with cranberry sauce.
“You can still have a few cuts of turkey meat or turkey sausages, but you can also cook up meats that are far more affordable and be creative with the grill. This is a fantastic way to create a wonderful Christmas lunch without the kitchen stress and hip pocket expense.”
Share the joy
“Christmas is a big day and it normally involves lots of food. If you are having friends and family over, why not share the load,” Chef Daniel said.
“Work out what food and dishes are needed and ask everyone to bring something. This is a great way of involving everyone in the day and giving people creative licence to produce their own take on a Christmas day favourite. It also reduces the financial impact of providing all the food. Christmas day should be about enjoying everyone’s company, not stressing about the expense of the day.”
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